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bedroom

I moved into my place about three months ago, but it’s just now starting to actually feel like home. I’m still constantly moving things around and have knick knacks scattered around but it is starting to feel a bit more put together. In one corner of my bedroom, I have a long standing bookshelf and though it does add more depth to the room with its height, it doesn’t have much space to put things in. Originally, I’d wanted this type of bookshelf:

I saw the one I currently have in an estate sale for $8 (?!) and couldn’t pass it up. After cleaning it, it seems to do the job fine and I’m glad I could add more than just books, though I don’t think I’m quite done styling it yet. It’s been an evolving process so far.

As if getting out of bed wasn’t difficult enough, these simple little butterflies are sure to keep you in just a bit longer. They add a little something extra to any bedroom (or nursery!) and are sure to make you want to keep dreaming. Getting them on your wall is simple and straightforward, but I’ve still included a step-by-step process.

What your creative self will need:
1. Book (preferably one that you’ve already read and don’t mind parting with. You could also use magazine pages- I just prefer the texture from book pages)
2. Pencil
3. Scissors
4. Glue stick (better to use than liquid to avoid a mess)
5. Hammer
6. Nails

Start by tracing out a stencil for your butterfly. It’s best to use the same one for all others to keep a consistent shape. I drew it freehand, but feel free to print out a butterfly shape.

Once you decide on that one stencil, cut it out and use it to trace all other butterflies.

The number of butterflies you need is really dependent on what space you want them to fill, and how 3D-like you want their wings to appear. I decided on 21 butterflies total, each having around 4 cutouts. That’s a total of 82 (21*4) butterfly cutouts. I realize this seems like a lot, but it’s a more tedious rather than difficult task. Try binging on your favorite Netflix show during the process!

Once you have all your cutouts, glue your butterflies down the center. Remember that you want your butterflies to appear to be flying, so leave the wings intact. Leave to dry for a few minutes.

Fold the layers of butterfly cutouts. As you can probably guess, you want to fold the inner layer the most, gradually folding every layer after that one less, and leaving the outermost layer without a fold.

Place a small nail in the center of each butterfly. Then decide on a layout for your butterflies. I decided I wanted to gradually spread them out (as seen below), so I did place them closer together in the beginning. After you’ve decided on a layout (gently!) nail each butterfly onto the wall. I didn’t need to check for wood first since these don’t need much support. There are alternative methods to stick them on the wall, but this was a hassle-free way (and a butterfly has yet to fly away fall off!).

Ruffle each wing a bit to make butterflies appear less stiff.

If you decide you’d like more variety, add different shapes, sizes, or number of butterfly cutouts. I decided to keep a consistent shape but added one larger and one smaller butterfly.

This has definitely added more character to my room, and at zero cost! I decided to place them right beside my bed, where they definitely enhance my bedroom’s dreamlike vibes.